What is the expense ratio of IWF vs VUG?

IWF has an expense ratio of 0.18%, while VUG has an expense ratio of 0.03%.

IWF vs VUG

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-10

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.38%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $116.5B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.38% Since: May 22, 2000

VUG

Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VUG) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.43%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $193.7B ER: 0.03% Yield: 0.43% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VUG is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $297 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (29.5% vs 30.1%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric	IWF	VUG
Expense Ratio	0.18%	0.03%
Dividend Yield	0.4%	0.4%
Fund Family	N/A	N/A
Category	US Large Cap Growth	US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

IWF +73.3%

VUG +68.9%

Performance Comparison

Period	IWF	VUG	Difference
1 Month	-1.35%	-0.86%	-0.49%
3 Months	-6.71%	-6.70%	-0.01%
6 Months	-4.99%	-4.19%	-0.80%
YTD	-5.63%	-5.49%	-0.14%
1 Year	+29.47%	+30.07%	-0.60%
3 Years	+83.86%	+86.72%	-2.86%
5 Years	+73.27%	+68.85%	+4.42%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	IWF Fees	VUG Fees	You Save
$10,000	10 years	$357	$60	$297
$10,000	20 years	$1,529	$258	$1,271
$10,000	30 years	$4,912	$835	$4,076
$50,000	10 years	$1,786	$299	$1,486
$50,000	30 years	$24,558	$4,176	$20,382
$100,000	30 years	$49,116	$8,352	$40,764

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	IWF	VUG
Annualized Volatility	21.4%	22.2%
Max Drawdown	-33.1%	-36.0%
Sharpe Ratio	0.41	0.38

Dividend Comparison

Metric	IWF	VUG
Annual Dividend (per share)	$1.69	$1.99
Dividend Yield	0.38%	0.43%
Distribution Frequency	Quarterly	Quarterly

Top Holdings

9 of top 9 holdings overlap (100% overlap in top holdings)

IWF Top Holdings

Name	Weight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA	12.99%
Apple Inc.AAPL	11.43%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT	8.59%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO	5.22%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN	4.76%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META	3.56%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA	3.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG	3.03%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY	2.65%

VUG Top Holdings

Name	Weight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA	12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL	12.23%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT	9.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG	4.49%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META	4.44%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN	4.41%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO	3.95%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA	3.58%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY	2.82%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VUG if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Either works if...

you just need broad us large cap growth exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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